Chapter 503: Holy Spirit Seed

Two streams of violent water and fire Genesis Qi erupted, converging at an ancient stone platform before powerfully blasting onto a figure seated there in meditation. Heat and cold radiated from him, and steam filled the air.

The figure remained as still as a mountain, enduring the intense pain. Jade light appeared on the surface of his body, while deep within his flesh and blood, silver light shone.

The interwoven water and fire Genesis Qi persisted for a long while before finally dissipating. As the steam cleared, the meditating figure became clearly visible. It was Zhou Yuan.

His upper body was bare, revealing a lean physique with curves that seemed carved by a knife. Though he lacked monstrously bulging muscles, his slender and taut frame contained explosive power. Having reached the Silver Bone Stage with his Minor Profound Saint Body, his physical cultivation was now considered a minor achievement, making him significantly more formidable than before.

He stood up, clenching his fists and feeling the surging power within him. He let out a comfortable sigh, acknowledging that the sensation of a physical body brimming with vigorous life force was truly wonderful.

"It's a pity, though, that there's still no progress on the third layer of the Minor Profound Saint Body, the Golden Blood Stage," Zhou Yuan lamented. Despite his diligent cultivation of the Minor Profound Saint Body during this period, there had been no sign of advancing to the third layer, the Golden Blood Stage.

Zhou Yuan shook his head. He stomped his foot, and without activating his Genesis Qi, his body shot up, landing on the cliff edge. The stone surface beneath his feet cracked slightly.

He looked up at the dilapidated stone pavilion where Elder Xuan was dozing, holding a bamboo broom. As if hearing the commotion, the elder sleepily lifted his head and glanced at Zhou Yuan, who had finished his physical cultivation for the day.

"Don't feel sorry for yourself," Elder Xuan said lazily. "Although you're cultivating only the Minor Profound Saint Body, not the true Profound Saint Body, reaching the Golden Blood Stage isn't as easy as you imagine."

Zhou Yuan smiled and nodded, then walked forward to sit in the stone pavilion. He said with a grin, "Elder Xuan, there's something I'd like to ask for your help with."

"What is it?" Elder Xuan asked slowly, shaking his wide sleeves.

Zhou Yuan clenched his hand, and an ancient jade scroll appeared in his palm. It was none other than the Grand Profound Saint Spirit Art, one of the Seven Cangxuan Arts bestowed upon him by the sect master after he became the chief disciple of Saint Genesis Peak. Zhou Yuan had studied this art for several days and found its cultivation difficulty to be extremely high. He had initially planned to ask Yao Yao for guidance, but she suggested that Elder Xuan was the most suitable person. Zhou Yuan considered this and strongly agreed, as Elder Xuan's ability to develop simplified versions of all Seven Cangxuan Arts demonstrated his profound mastery of these seven Genesis Arts.

Elder Xuan lifted an eyelid, glancing at the jade scroll in Zhou Yuan's hand. He said, "Shouldn't this be something Shen Taiyuan ought to do?"

"Elder Xuan..." Zhou Yuan said righteously, "I've at least shed blood and rendered service for Saint Genesis Peak!"

"This old man isn't an instructor! Can't you let this old man have some peace and quiet?!"

"I've shed blood and rendered service for Saint Genesis Peak!"

"You!"

Seeing the boy's impudent behavior, Elder Xuan's beard bristled with anger. He pointed a finger at Zhou Yuan, and after a long moment, finally said exasperatedly, "It's truly my bad luck to have met a brat like you!"

Despite his words, a hint of a smile flickered in Elder Xuan's cloudy eyes. He genuinely appreciated Zhou Yuan; otherwise, even Sect Master Qing Yang couldn't make him willingly guide a disciple, let alone agree to do so because of some of Zhou Yuan's impudent antics.

"You've already observed this Grand Profound Saint Spirit Art, haven't you?" Elder Xuan asked.

Zhou Yuan nodded, his expression slightly serious. "The most fundamental aspect of this Grand Profound Saint Spirit Art," he said, "seems to be condensing a 'Saint Spirit Seed' within one's body?"

Elder Xuan smiled. "To condense this 'Saint Spirit Seed,' you need the souls of ninety-nine types of Genesis Beasts as materials," he explained. "Nine of these are main ingredients, and the rest are supplementary. Once all materials are gathered, you use the refinement technique described in the Grand Profound Saint Spirit Art to refine and merge these ninety-nine Genesis Beast souls, forming a unique object: the Saint Spirit Seed. Once the Saint Spirit Seed takes shape, you can visualize it during future battles, allowing it to grow and materialize, becoming a great aid."

"The difficulty in cultivating this art lies in the refinement and fusion of these Genesis Beast souls. These souls are all distinct; upon contact, they will violently conflict and attempt to devour each other. Forcibly merging them will only cause both to vanish into thin air. Only with the most meticulous control can this be achieved, making the difficulty undoubtedly high."

"It's somewhat similar to the Nine Dragon Scripture," Zhou Yuan mused. However, the Nine Dragon Scripture only dealt with essence blood, whereas this Saint Spirit Art required Genesis Beast souls, which was clearly more difficult.

Elder Xuan smiled faintly, then flicked his sleeve, sending two beast soul crystals flying toward Zhou Yuan. "You try it first," he said.

Zhou Yuan took the two beast soul crystals and nodded. He clapped his hands together, and the crystals shattered, releasing two illusory beast shadows that rose with roars. Genesis Qi surged, enveloping them. Under Zhou Yuan's control, the two illusory beast souls finally touched. The moment the two beast souls touched, a violent repulsion erupted, as if two different substances were being forcibly merged. With a "bang," the two beast souls instantly transformed into blue smoke, rising and dissipating.

Zhou Yuan's expression was grim. After this personal experiment, he finally understood how incredibly difficult it was to merge beast souls.

"These two beast souls are only from rank two Genesis Beasts, and you couldn't even manage that," Elder Xuan said slowly. "You should know that to cultivate a Saint Spirit Seed, the ninety supplementary beast souls must be at least rank four, and the nine main ingredients require rank five beast souls. Furthermore... even with those, the Saint Spirit Seed cultivated will only be a low-grade one."

"Saint Spirit Seeds also have grades?" Zhou Yuan asked in surprise.

"Saint Spirit Seeds are divided into two grades: low-grade and high-grade. The materials I mentioned earlier should allow you to cultivate a low-grade Saint Spirit Seed, but if you want to achieve a high-grade one, the nine main ingredients will need to be replaced with rank six beast souls."

Zhou Yuan's expression became even grimmer. Rank six Genesis Beasts were powerful enough to contend with Heavenly Sun Stage experts. Genesis Beasts of this level had already developed high intelligence, and even if only their remnant souls remained, they would undoubtedly be difficult to deal with, let alone refining and merging their beast souls.

"What's the difference between low-grade and high-grade?" Zhou Yuan asked.

"The materialized form of a high-grade Saint Spirit Seed will naturally be stronger than a low-grade form and possess more versatility. You will naturally understand this later." Elder Xuan looked at Zhou Yuan and said, "Given your current strength, I think cultivating a low-grade Saint Spirit Seed should be sufficient."

Zhou Yuan did not commit. Immediately, he thought of a significant problem: given the current situation, even cultivating a low-grade Saint Spirit Seed would likely consume a large number of beast souls. Especially if he wanted to cultivate a high-grade Saint Spirit Seed, he would need rank six beast souls! In the Genesis Beast world, Genesis Beasts that reach rank six are no longer referred to as ordinary Genesis Beasts; instead, they are called Heavenly Genesis Beasts. Heavenly Genesis Beast soul crystals were not only rare but also extremely expensive, likely beyond his means. Consider this: a Heavenly Sun Stage expert could become an elder in the Cangxuan Sect, so how troublesome would a Genesis Beast of equivalent strength be?

"If I want to cultivate a high-grade Saint Spirit Seed, those materials will be difficult to acquire," Zhou Yuan sighed.

"Heh, quite ambitious..." Elder Xuan lit his pipe and took a puff. Then he said indifferently, "You don't need to worry about the materials. You've rendered great service to Saint Genesis Peak this time and haven't received your reward yet. If you truly have the determination, all the resources you need to cultivate the Saint Spirit Seed can be provided by Saint Genesis Peak. Of course, in that case, it will offset your merits. Don't come complaining to me later that you've shed blood and rendered service."

Zhou Yuan was overjoyed at first upon hearing this, then awkwardly rubbed his nose. However, the excitement in his heart was undeniable. With Elder Xuan's words, he no longer had to worry about the resources needed to cultivate the Grand Profound Saint Spirit Art. In the coming period, he could also begin attempting to condense the Saint Spirit Seed. As for whether he would eventually cultivate a low-grade or high-grade one, it would depend on the situation. If a high-grade one proved truly impossible to achieve, Zhou Yuan would have no choice but to settle for the next best thing.